7 Best Smart Doorbells for People With Hearing Loss in 2017

If you or someone with a hearing loss is living in your home, it is important that you put more thought into your doorbell. It can be frustrating to miss someone at your door or miss an important delivery because you couldn’t hear the doorbell ring.

Most standard doorbells emit a high-frequency chime, which can be missed by the millions of people with a high-frequency hearing loss, or the chime is too soft for those with a moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss. A doorbell that you are sure to hear will give you a greater sense of security and more independence in your home.

The doorbell options are numerous. Everything from standard doorbells to amplified doorbells or flashing signalers, to smart doorbells with video features, two-way communication, and smartphone integration.

Our #1 Pick

Best Smart Doorbell for People with Hearing LossRing Video Doorbell Pro

What makes a good doorbell for hearing loss?

The best doorbell for someone with hearing loss is a doorbell that can provide an additional alert that can be detected. This may come in the form of an amplified chime, flashing light, vibration, or smartphone notification.

We believe that a smart doorbell with smartphone notifications is the best option because they don’t have to rely on any of the other alert signals, they can have multiple alerts in one, through the smartphone.

Types of alerts:

A visual alert on the smartphone device itself indicating someone has pressed your doorbell, or motion is detected. Plus, you can wirelessly connect most smart doorbells to your smart lights through the IFTTT network for an extra visual notification (i.e. your lights flash when your doorbell rings).

A vibrotactile alert by receiving a vibration on your smartphone that you can feel as long as your phone is on you.

An audio alert that is either amplified for a more audible signal, a frequency-shaped or customized chime that can be changed to accommodate your hearing loss, and/or a verbal notification in your hearing aid via an IFTTT connection (currently available in the Oticon Opn hearing aid).

Instead of relying on only one of the alert signals, a smart doorbell gives you multiple notifications. Plus, a loud amplified doorbell may be good for the person with hearing loss, but if there are other people or pets with normal hearing in the household, that could be a problem.

The second most important thing the doorbell can provide would be the ability to communicate with the visitor.

A smart doorbell can allow you to hear, see, and talk to a visitor.

A smart doorbell can allow you to hear, see, and talk to a visitor. Being able to see the person at your door is especially important with a hearing loss because you won’t have to reply on audio only to determine who it is and what they want.

Being able to use the visual cues of the video will give you some information about the visitor before you open the door, or even allow you to talk to them when you’re away from home.

Top 7 smart doorbells for people with hearing loss

We created the table below so you could have a place to quickly compare each of our picks. Below the table you’ll find another section that goes into more details about each doorbell, if you’re still unsure which one to go with.

A closer look at each doorbell

We’ve gone through each of our top picks and listed the major features along with a our thoughts on each. If you’ve still got any questions after reading this section then feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you.

#1 Ring Video Doorbell Pro

With the Ring Video Doorbell Pro you will be alerted via your phone, tablet, or PC whenever anyone comes to your door. Plus you can see, hear, and speak to your visitor with live video streaming and two-way audio.

Video: 1080p HD Live video streaming, video recording plan available for a fee

Audio: Two-way audio with noise cancellation, multiple alert chimes and volume control available with Chime accessoy

#5 August Doorbell Cam

Always know who’s at the front door, even when you’re not home. August Doorbell Cam alerts you every time the bell is rung via the iOS or Android app and les you see and speak with visitors from anywhere.

Smartphone integration: Works with most cell phones and landline phones

Motion sensing: None

Set-up: Disposable battery

Design: 1 color

Connections: Jack for optional bed shaker

All of these smart doorbells are meant to make your life easier and more convenient, not more complicated. If you feel overwhelmed by a smart doorbell, or don’t own a smartphone, there are some other available doorbell options for you.

3 more wireless doorbell options for people with hearing loss who don’t own a smartphone

While most people these days own a smartphone, there are still some who need a doorbell with an alternative option. There are wireless doorbells available that are not necessarily “smart”, but have some really smart functions when it comes to accommodating hearing loss, without the need for a smartphone.

Set-up: Up to 5 years battery life, up to 200m wireless range, range extender option available

Design: 2 colors – grey and white

Connections: None beyond Honeywell accessories

Final thoughts

I highly recommend that everyone with a hearing loss consider getting a smart doorbell for their home.

Having a smart doorbell is a great benefit for someone with hearing loss because it gives you the ability to live independently without having to worry about whether you’ll miss an important visitor. Not to mention some of the other fun safety features it provides, like monitoring your house with cameras, letting you talk to your visitor even if you’re not home, and instructing the delivery driver where to leave the package without even having to answer the door.

Smart doorbells are no longer a thing of the future. You can have one in your home now and never worry about missing a visitor again.

Comments

I HAVE PROFOUND HEARING LOSS IN ONE EAR. I AM SEEKING A PROGRAMABLE DOOR BELL THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO MATCH THE FREQUENCY WITH MY HEARING. I AM HOPING THAT WILL KEEP ME FROM RAISING THE VOLUME SO HIGH, NONE OF THE BELLS YOU LISTED SEEM TO DO THAT CAN YOU HELP.